


small signs of belonging

by smallredboy



Series: young and sweet [2]
Category: House M.D.
Genre: Allergies, Alternate Universe - High School, Anaphylaxis, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Pre-Poly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 00:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20497640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: How Robert finds out he's allergic to strawberries. Luckily for him, Allison and Eric are by his side.





	small signs of belonging

**Author's Note:**

> for 15woes with one of the author's choice prompts (which for me was allergic reactions), whole-new-world with "cold/flu/allergies", badthingshappenbingo with the square "allergic reaction" and for hc-bingo with the square "asphyxiation". wow that's a mouthful.
> 
> i hope yall like this au. 
> 
> enjoy!

"What do you mean you've never eaten strawberries before?" Allison asks, taking some from her fridge, smiling wide. 

Robert fiddles with his hands, a nervous smile on his lips. Cameron is one of the popular girls at their school, so he's not surprised that her birthday party is bustling with activity. She still takes the time to talk to him alone, shifting from time to time to go look for Eric, her other close friend of sorts. 

"I've just never had them," he says, shrugging a little. "They're not very common in Australia, so…"

"Well, then you should have some." Allison puts some strawberries on a plate and hands them to him, smiling bright. Her perfect white-bright teeth, her lipstick makes her look all that more pretty. Her mother had decided to be funny— he could hear  _ Dancing Queen _ by ABBA playing in the living room. She is young, and she is sweet, and she is, in fact, only seventeen. "My mom put sugar on them. Just take a bite."

Robert nods and grabs a fork, putting the strawberries to his lips. He chews and swallows fast, sweet juices flooding his mouth. He lets out a quiet groan. "Oh, that's good." He keeps eating, even as he starts feeling his belly clench, like there's something going on he's not aware of. He finishes the plate and smiles up at Allison. "How are your grades so far?" he asks, trying to make small talk while grabbing a tissue and wiping his mouth. 

Allison shrugs. "Uh, I'm doing okay. I could be doing better but junior year's just fuckin' awful, you know?"

Robert laughs. "Yeah, it's pretty awful. I have been doing pretty good, but our chemistry teacher is a pain. Like no, Mr. Vogler, I really don't care about—" 

He goes silent suddenly, dots clouding his vision as his throat closes up. He tries to gasp, tries to get in air as he collapses, the world still too vivid around him as he can't breathe, as he asphyxiates, clawing at the floor, panting. His head's swimming and all he can think of is the strawberry juice in the back of his throat. 

"Robbie!" Allison exclaims, rushing out of the kitchen. "Eric! Help me get my mom, I-I gave Robbie some strawberries and he just— he just fell!"

"I'll go get your mom," he hears Eric say as he rushes out. 

The rest is blurry, but then there's Allison's mom rushing towards him, stabbing him with something. He gasps for air, eyes wide. "I - I can't, I can't —" he chokes out. His throat feels like it’s being glued together and God, he can’t breathe.

"Shh," she says. Her eyes are just like Allison's. She turns to her husband, who's hovering over at the door. "We have to get him to the hospital."

"I'll drive," he says. 

"I'm coming with," Allison says immediately.

"Okay, let's go," she says, not noticing Eric following them as her husband carries Robert to the car, putting him in the backseat. 

"I'm coming with too," Eric says before getting in the car, not asking for approval or having time for questions. "Hey, Robbie, chin up, you'll be fine. You'll be fine."

Robert gasps and thrashes a little, clinging onto Allison, onto anyone who comes close to him, his limbs all too weak, his mind fuzzy. He wants to throw up. 

"I'm sorry," Allison breathes, tears pricking at her eyes. "I'm sorry I caused this."

"You didn't know he's allergic," Eric argues as he keeps rubbing Robert's shoulder comfortingly. "Hell,  _ he  _ probably didn't know he's allergic. Stop being all guilty about it."

Allison offers him a weak smile, a tad forced. 

"He'll be fine, kids," Allison's mom calls out. "I gave him my epipen and we're almost at the hospital. He'll be fine."

"He'll be fine," Eric echoes nervously, with that same anxiety of someone who is pretty sure that Robert will not be fine.

* * *

Chase wakes up in a hospital bed, exhausted, and with Allison’s hand wrapped around his.

“Hey,” he says weakly.

“Robbie,” Allison breathes, immediately pulling her hand away. Eric is standing up next to the bed— Robert’s mom is settled on the one seat, looking exhausted before she lights up and rushes towards him.

“Robert,” she breathes, holding his face with her hands. “How are you feeling? Are you alright?”

He smiles at her— at her worry, at the way she holds him. It tells him everything will be alright, eventually. “Yeah,” he says softly. “I’m feeling a lot better than when I was like, asphyxiating.”

She laughs softly. “I’m glad, sweetie.”

Eric leans in to ruffle his overgrown hair. It started as some bit of teenage rebellion— guys aren’t supposed to have long hair or whatever— but when his mom was okay with it well, it kinda fell apart. He just likes the look of it now.

“I’m glad you’re good, man,” he says, still touching his hair absentmindedly. Robert doesn’t particularly mind, almost leaning into it.

“Thanks, dude.”

He wouldn’t say Eric and him are particularly close, but as he touches his hair, he knows that maybe they are.

His mom pulls away from him after a few seconds, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “They’ll discharge you in a few hours. And well, sweetie, no more strawberries for you, yeah?” 

He laughs. “Yeah,” he says. “Where’s Audrey?”

Her face scrunches up. “Ah, she was in her dance class. I called her to tell her you were in the hospital, she said she hoped you’d get better soon.”

Ah, it’s the same paraphrased feel-good thing of always. Audrey doesn’t care much for him, as much as she was also hurt by their parents’ divorce, as much as she was never told the true reason they got separated. Robert is glad she doesn’t know— if she knew, perhaps she’d be terrible about it. Society stains you early on.

“Okay,” he nods, biting the inside of his cheek. “I’d love to talk to my friends now, mum. Could you leave?”

“Wow,” his mom says with a good-natured grin. “So mean of you, Robert.”

“Sorry, mum,” he says, tilting his head as he smiles, poking her belly playfully as she pulls away and quickly leaves through the door. 

He looks up at Eric with a smile. “You’re quite fixated on my hair.”

Eric looks scandalized, a bit of fear seeping through his nice brown eyes as he pulls away. “Sorry. It’s just— really nice, man. I wish I could grow it out like that.”

Allison chuckles and sits on the edge of the hospital bed. “I’m sure you could. You’d look awesome.”

“I’d look weird,” Eric rebuffs as he keeps his hand on Robert’s shoulder, smiling at him.

He’s not sure why, but right that moment, Robert finds himself thinking of Allison, Eric and him as some sort of unit. He’s not sure what kind yet, but he’ll get there in its own time.


End file.
